7 reasons to leave the Isle of Man

We are incredibly lucky to live on such a unique and spectacular island. An island that has starred in its very own Panorama documentary #paradisepapers, has weather as temperamental as the IOM Police Facebook feed, an envious level of access to nature and with no fewer than 26 UNESCO accredited dark sky sites, there can be no doubt that the Isle is a very special place. But for all of the safety and variety that the Isle of Man offers there is an incredible world beyond the Irish Sea and dipping your toe might just change your life.

#1 Traa dy Liooar (time enough)

I am a big fan of these super chill vibes being our national statement but being a young person in such an environment isn’t necessarily an encouragement to get out there and try new things. Travel opens your eyes to different ways of life, allows you to experience new cultures, new food and new people with the added bonus of opening doors along the way, who knows what you might learn or who you might meet along the way.

Food is the gateway to a culture and after the people, food was one of our favourite things to explore whilst travelling. From home cooked Massaman curry in Chiang Mai to Ugali in Mwanza, food has always played an important backdrop to our travels and never leaves us short on ideas for things to cook on date night.

#3 Hey boy, what’s the crack fella?! LANGUAGE

Language all around the world is so varied and can be so challenging. From bartering for a rickshaw to drunkenly trying to settle the barm/bap debate aboard a boat somewhere in the Pacific, experiencing and trying to muddle your way through is a quintessential travel experience and something to be relished. Yes, of course you wanted that environmentally friendly bamboo elephant for 600,000 Rupee…wait, what?!

#4 Spread the word

The Isle of Man is a real place. Yeah, you know that Facebook video you seen? The one with all of the fast bikes going through peoples’ gardens? Yeah, no speed limit. Yeah, no, not the Isle of White. We’ve all had the same conversations and it gets a little boring being compared to those Southern drips that couldn’t even be arsed creating their own flag! So get out there and spread the word, the Isle is a real place and yes, we say hello to fairies, nothing weird about that.

#5 How fortunate we are to live where we live

By actually leaving the Island you begin to grow a sense of how fortunate we are to live where we live. Low crime rates, literacy levels through the roof and truly astoundingly low rates of homelessness are things that we take for granted on the Island but appreciating these things is another matter completely. Acknowledging just how lucky we are might well put the annual MGP horse tram traffic jam into perspective.

#6 Horse trams & transport

On the subject of Horse trams, it’s worth pointing out that they are not modern forms of transport and Douglas promenade is probably the only place you will still see horse drawn carriages. Having said that, leaving the Island opens the door to try out some epic, alternate methods of transport.

From a Battambang bamboo train ride to outrageously over packed scooters all over Asia, transport is not just a means to travel but can often provide some of the most outstanding memories.

Credit: @matt_kneen

#7 Ronaldsway Security

The absurdity of being asked to remove your footwear at Ronaldsway will really be put into perspective when you negotiate the queues of some of the world’s scarier looking security desks, flip flops firmly attached to your feet. Meanwhile, at the Sea Terminal…